Car starter and brake



(N04 Model.)

J. O. ELLIOTT. OAR STARTER AND BRAKE.

Patented Feb. 2 ,1886.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN C. ELLIOTT, OF RITTMAN, OHIO.

CAR STARTER AND BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 335,217, dated February2, 1886.

Application filed April 9, 1855.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. O. ELLIOTT, of Bittman, in the county of Vayneand State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements ina Combined Car Brake and Starter; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a bottom .plan view of my improved car-starter. Fig. 2 is avertical section of the same on line aa", Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a transversevertical section on line 3/ y, Fig. 1. Figs. 4 and 5 are details of theratchet-andpawl devices.

This invention relates to improvements in car-starters in which theaction of the brake gives tension to the springs that actuate thestarting mechanism; and it consists in the construction and arrangementof the various parts hereinafter described, and pointed out in theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, A represents the car-truck,composed of theusual side frames, a, in which the axles B B have bearings, and thecentral transverse beams, A A.

b b are the wheels, of usual construction; and

C is a rectangular frame, lying longitudinally within the truck betweenthe beams A and resting and moving laterally on the lower on thereof.

C O are longitudinal side arms on the front and rear ends of the frame0, forming part therewith, and having secured to their lower edges thesemicircular loops 0 c, for a purpose hereinafter explained.

D are disks secured to the axles to the inner side of the wheels on oneside of the truck, and D D are similar disks on the other side of thetruck. The inner surfaces of the disks D D are preferably made concave,as shown.

E are collars surrounding and turning freely on the axles on one side ofthe truck, and E are similar collars on the other side. Each collar hasa circumferential groove, a, into which a loop, 0, enters.

F are disks on the outer ends of the collars E, and F are similar diskson the outer ends of the collars E. The said disks have their Serial No.161,719. (No model.)

outer surfaces convex to engage against the concave surfaces of thedisks D and D.

G are ratchet-wheels formed on the collars E between the disks F andgrooves e, and G are similar ratchet-wheels formed on the col lars E.The ratchet-wheelsG have their teeth pointing in the opposite directionto those 01' the wheels G. In other words, the teeth of theratchet-wheels on one side point in a reverse direction from those onthe other. ratchet-wheels G are permitted to rotate in one directiononly by the pawl-arms H, haw ing their upper ends pivoted to theoutersurfaces of their arms 0 on one side of the frame 0. and engagingthe ratchet-wheels by means of the springs g, aided by gravity. Theratchet-wheels G are permitted to rotate only in the direction oppositeto that of G by their pawl-arms H, pivoted to the arms C on the oppositeside of the frame from the ratchetwheels G. The pawls H engage theratchetwheels G by means of springs g, aided by gravity, as is evidentfrom the drawings. The disks F F,at either end of the truck,are alessdistance apart than the corresponding disks, D D; hence when the lateralmotion of the frame 0 makes the disks F engage the disks D the disks Fand D will he disengaged, and the reverse.

The inner facing ends of the collars E E at either end have secured tothem circumfereir tial bands I, which project inward from the ends ofthe collars and lie around the ends of a cylindrical core, K, so as tosupport and turn freely thereon. The said core surrounds the middle partof the axle, which turns freely within it. M is a coiled spring, whichturns around said core, and has its ends secured to opposite bands I.

The frame 0 may he slid laterally by leverarms X, pivoted each to an endof the truck, or by other suitable means.

The pawlarms H H may, if desired, he pivoted to the inner surfaces ofthe arms 0, and may engage ratchet-wheels made as de scribed, but on theinner ends of the collars.

The bands 0 support the collars E E and cores K, and the lateral motionof the frame 0 moves said collars, cores, and disks F F laterally withit.

Vhen the truck. is moving in the direction The in which theratchet-wheels G arepermitted to rotate by their pawl-arms H, and theframe is moved laterally, so as to engage the disks F against the disksD, the former disks act as I brake-shoes to the latter, and the lattercause the former to rotate with them until they cease to move. Theratchet-wheels G are also rotated under their pawl-arms H, therebywinding up or increasing the tension of the springs M between thecollars E E. As the ratchetwheels G cannot rotate in the same directionas the ratchet-wheels G, and as the latter cannot reverse their motion,the springs remain under tension. By allowing the disks F and D toremain engaged and releasing the ratchet-wheels G the tense springs willstart the car in the reverse direction; but by engaging the disks F Dand releasing the ratchetwheels G the car will be started in thedirection it was going when stopped." The disks F F and D D thus,besides acting as brakes, also by their contact cause the axles torotate when the springs act. By releasing both ratchet-wheels at eachend of the truck the springs are released from tension without startingthe truck in either direction. The levers X are arranged one at each endof the truck for convenience,and are connected by a system of links, z,to the frame 0, that the latter may be actuated from either end of thecar.

When the car has arrived at the end of its course and the brakes appliedby a lever, X, the team maybe attached to the other end, 5 and theproper pawls disengaged by the foot, so as to start the car in thereverse direction. Instead of the frame (1 resting and sliding onthe-truck of the car, as described, it may be suspended from the bottomof the car-body 40 in such manner as to allow of the proper lateralmotion for braking, and yet prevent the cores K, collars EE, and disks FF from resting their weight on-the axles. This would be the constructionused in street-cars.

Having described my invention, I claim 1. In a combined car brake andstarter, thecombination, with an axle, two collars turning freely andsliding together thereon, a frame lying between the wheels and providedwith bearings in which the collars rotate, and detents connected to saidframe and which when acting allow the collars to rotate in oppositedirections only, of a coiled spring uniting the inner ends of thecollars, and two brake-clutches adapted to lock the outer ends of thecollars with the axle, the one clutch being disengaged by the samemotion that engages the other, substantially as specified.

2. In a combined car brake and starter, the combination, with an axle,two collars turning freely and sliding together thereon, aframe lyingbetween the wheels and provided with bearings in which the collarsrotate, and de tents connected to said frame and which when acting allowthe collars to rotate in opposite directions only, of a coiled springuniting the inner ends of the collars, two brake-disks, one on the outerend of each collar, and mechanism, substantially as described, by whichone brake-disk is engaged against a disk secured to the axle by the samemotion that disengages the other brake-disk from another disk secured tothe axle, substantially as specified.

3. In a combined car brake and starter, the combination, with the axleB, wheels I), and disks D D, of the frame 0, coiled spring M, collars EE, arranged to turn freely on the axle in bearings secured to the frame0, and to slidewith said frame upon the axle, and controlled by detentsattached to said frame, which detents when acting permit them to rotatein opposite directions only, and the disks F F, respectively secured tothe outer ends of th-e'collars E E, substantially as specified.

4. In a combined car starter and brake, the.

lars E E, provided, respectively, with the disks F F, and ratchet-wheelsG G, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as J. o. ELLIOTT.

\Vitnesses:

M. A. ELLIOTT, M. S. ELLIOTT.

